Physical Marries Digital To Become Phygital
Phygital a new opportunity for business
Phygital- The birth and grooming of the new concept. The word Phygital means physical and digital combined. It takes the best of both worlds. This word has been coined by the AustralianAgency Momentum, in the year 2013 and it bridges the space of physical and digital to give a great experience. Phygital, however, gained importance slowly and during COVID-19 its significance and potential were fully realized.
COVID-19 has accelerated the existence of Phygital experiences in our lives. It has paved the way for new and better ways of accomplishing everyday tasks.
Some people have completely moved on to a digital experience. Others still like to interact with the people and only then wish to make a choice of a product or service. They do not like isolation and want to choose their products only after looking at a product. A new concept called Phygital has come into being to give pleasure to both kinds of people.
Who can benefit from Phygital?
- People with physical problems of movement: Those who have physical challenges with special needs of the movement. They have a much easier life because goods are delivered to them, without having to go in a car to fetch them
2.Health workers and doctors: The frontline health workers want to avoid unnecessary contact with the outside world as they fear spreading harmful viruses like coronavirus and influenza
3.People who have small children, who do not have to drive or leave their children in the car or park and take them and then go to a store to pick up the grocery items required.
4. Professionals and entrepreneurs can pick up food and essentials for the family on the go
5.People with pets, who find it difficult to leave pets in the house or carry them in a car and it is also not safe to leave them by themselves.
6. Older generation who do not have help and are unable to move by themselves.
7. Young people: The computer-savvy people who love to shop from their comfortable home space.
All these are concerned with the consumers.
Business: For the people from business, it is a great opportunity. The pandemic saved them from loss and the closing down of business by adopting Phygital techniques of supplying products and services.
How has physical married digital?
Restaurant service: We can use mobile apps to order our meals and eliminate the need to visit a restaurant and pick up food. As more consumers are becoming conscious about the ways that COVID 19 spreads both during the pandemic, now technology has been evolved to reduce transmission points where a touch of fingers is required in a physical restaurant environment.
Contactless Menu through scanning: A mobile phone eliminates the requirement of a physical menu’s as we now scan the menu and it has become contactless.
Payment of Bills: We now do not get physical bills for electricity, gas usage, water. It decreases human interactions by paying through our own mobile phones.
Self Service check-outs: Shoppers in retail environments now have self-service check-outs. It started with large brands and now we have the payment gateways through which even small shopkeepers receive their payments.
Banking: Digital banking is a convenient mode to perform most routine transactions. When we have to make certain decisions that are pertinent to finances and the trust underlying them we are required to go into a physical branch setup. It is thus a physical and digital mode that works well.
Fashion Shows and clothes business: During the pandemic year 2020, no fashion shows were held physically. Fashion designers lost business and money. then they thought of a Phygital experience.
Without turning fully digital, as it would not work, the designers decided to utilize digital platforms to help them. ‘Phygital’ allowed brands to provide a more interactive and accessible experience for audiences and to communicate with them. Invitations were issued. Models performed a show and people from their homes could see and order their products.
Education: The world education system is oriented toward Phygital. Online teaching but meeting for project work. Seminars are being held digitally with a few speakers and organizers meeting digitally. Debates and discussions also follow digitally. It is now a complete Phygital experience.
Health: One of the most important sectors in any country is health. Doctors are examining patients on Zoom or Whatsapp and calling them when necessary to examine them physically.
Art: Phygital is now displaying art on digital platforms and it has been a great boon for artists to sell digitally.
The take away:
Physical marries digital to connect, transact and engage. This is the new business opportunity and useful for the suppliersa and the users. Blended work is the key to the new processes in life. All businesses to be succesful have to adapt to this new mode of work.
In conclusion, I would like to draw your attention to that Phygital is the new normal both for consumers and for sellers. All important sectors in an economy are using the Phygital method of selling their products and services. As we have seen, food, health, entertainment, art, education, clothes, banks, and all other sectors are now Phygital.
We now need to refine, shape, and remodel ourselves and be ready for blended platforms in all respects as physical marries digital and becomes PHYGITAL
